The present invention relates to implanting prosthesis devices, and, more particularly, to the preparation of the femur for implanting a prosthetic hip replacement device therein.
Bone disease and injuries to joints often make it necessary or desirable to replace a natural joint with an artificial prosthesis. One such replacement involves the fixation of a prosthetic hip joint to a proximal end of the femur. The femur contains a hollow intramedullary femoral canal running through a central axis thereof. When implanting the joint prosthesis into the femur, it is desirable to fix the prothesis to the femur in such a manner that the stem of the prosthesis lies along the central axis of the femur. In preparing the proximal end of the femur to receive the prosthesis, the femoral head is first removed, exposing the femoral canal. If the femoral canal is large enough to accommodate the prosthesis, the prosthesis is then inserted into the canal and fixed to the femur either by an interference fit or by cement fixation. In certain circumstances, the femoral canal is not wide enough to accommodate the prosthesis; thus, the canal is enlarged by drilling or the like to a size appropriate for receiving the stem of the prosthesis at the proximal end of the femur. The femur comprises hard cortical bone surrounding softer porous bone, which lines the femoral canal. Prior to and after drilling to open the femoral canal for insertion of the prosthesis therein, the density of the porous bone remains low at the wall of the femoral canal. Due to the low-density canal wall, fixation of the prosthesis to the femur may deteriorate over time.